THIS PAST WEEK, a tragic thing happened to a member of the food blogging community. Jennifer Perillo, author of In Jennie’s Kitchen, unexpectedly lost her beloved husband Mikey (father to their two girls) to a heart attack. In one instant, her world turned upside-down. Suddenly, she must take one breath at a time and learn to live in a new, if bereft, way.

I am not close to Jennie—she may not even remember me—but we’ve crossed paths through our common involvement in Food52 and the community’s events in NYC. I always admired her warmth and creativity. Now I admire her strength as well. I don’t know how, heartbroken, she managed to write a blog post for Mikey. The post tells about the wedding ring that should still be on his finger, but that she now wears on a chain around her neck. It mentions that he loved peanut butter cream pie and provides the recipe. Here’s a quote from the end of the post:

For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.

On Friday, August, 12, 2011, I—like untold numbers of other people (word spread quickly through Twitter hashtag #apieformikey and via a special Facebook page)—made a Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey. I’d like to say that Jennie’s recipe is the best of its kind I’ve ever tasted, even if these circumstances made it bittersweet.

My son helped me make the pie, and he helped me eat it. My husband, ever at work in the restaurant, hasn’t had any yet, but I’ll make sure he does.

And I promise this to Jennie and her girls and the memory of her beloved Mikey: that I will do my best to remember what she wants us all to know, that the time allotted to us on this earth is of unknown duration, and that it’s important to make time for what’s important. For favorite foods and hugs.

Mostly, today, I’m thankful to be part of a community of people who care for each other with love and empathy and who understand about nourishing the body—but more importantly, the hearts and souls of others.

Post Script: For one of the most beautiful tributes to Mikey, Jennie, and the power of love in food, watch this stunning video tribute for Mikey by Todd Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice. Be sure to have a box of tissues nearby.

Note: If you missed the peanut butter pie day (though it’s never too late to make one), and you want to help Jennie in this difficult time, please see Shauna Ahern’s post for information.

“Why did the chicken cross the playground?” my son asks.
“Why?” I say.
“To get to the other slide!”

It’s not the greatest joke, I know, but my son was proud to tell it. Of course, this is not the greatest slideshow I’ve posted below, either. Not by a long shot. Actually the quality sucks, and I’m not sure what caused this. Our farm excursion to Stone Barn, however, was the greatest thing ever. A full summer day of blue sky, sunshine, and the perfect hill to roll down. The smell of hay, feathers, and warm eggs freshly collected. Finally, potatoes dug from the earth with our bare hands. (In the car, on the way, we did have to explain that it was the potatoes we were going to dig, not the eggs. City kids.)

August is shaping up to be a month of much work, little play, but we take our pleasure where we can—preferably someplace with clean air and a change of pace. I won’t be posting much (who am I kidding: I haven’t been for most of the summer already), but promise to return in September. I’ll fix the video or get some kind of slideshow plugin. I’ll write in full about our day on the farm and replace this post with one that really counts.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the last weeks of summer, and that you find yourself knee deep in all the colors of the season: Those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes in reds, yellows, greens. The corn and squash and mint. Those amazing peaches and other stone fruits. Oh, yes, and the figs that have finally returned.

All this bounty—go make the most of it. That’s what I’ll be doing.

See you back here soon.

(In the meantime, you can try to play the slideshow below. The slider button at the bottom is cropped off but it does seem to work.)